King Charles to Deliver Christmas Message from Westminster Abbey

King Charles III will deliver his fourth Christmas message from the Lady Chapel at Westminster Abbey in London, marking the second consecutive year the monarch has chosen a location outside a royal residence for the annual address. The speech, centered on the theme of pilgrimage, is scheduled for broadcast on television and radio at 3 p.m. on December 25.

The decision to film at the abbey underscores its historical role as a site of pilgrimage, particularly for visitors to the shrine of Edward the Confessor, the 11th-century monarch whose tomb lies at the heart of the structure built in his honor. Edward, who ruled for 24 years until his death in 1066, was known as a monklike figure believed to possess healing powers and was canonized by Pope Alexander III in 1161. His resting place has drawn pilgrims for centuries.

The Lady Chapel, a late medieval construction commissioned by Henry VII, serves as the setting for the broadcast. It is the burial place of 15 kings and queens, including Charles II, Elizabeth I, and Mary Queen of Scots, and functions as the official chapel of the Order of the Bath, over which Charles presides as Sovereign Head. Above the king, out of view during the...